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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. plane — a tool
  3. land — a country
  4. mine — for digging
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. chest — of your body
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. chest — a box
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. land — ground
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. chest — of your body
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. land — to come down
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. patient — a sick person

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com